Labor of Love
by TStabler
Summary: When Olivia's water breaks a few weeks too soon, and things don't go as smoothly as she'd hoped, it takes a tremendous act on the part of her husband to keep her calm and comfortable, something that can only be described as a labor of love. Pure, powerful, profound love. E/O OneShot M for language only. E/O


**A/N: Requested by a sister, influenced by a soulmate. **

**DISCLAIMER: Tstabler owns the story; Dick Wolf owns the characters.**

She tried to ignore it, the little cramps that came and went, sure that it was another case of Braxton-Hicks since she wasn't technically due for three more weeks. It was the gush of fluid down her lounge pants that jarred her into reality. Picking up the phone she hits his name. It answers after a ring and half, "What's wrong?"

If she wasn't currently having what was obviously a contraction, she would be annoyed at their synchronicity.

Deciding against beating around the bush she grips the counter, "It seems that your child is as impatient as his father," she answers dryly.

He pauses for a second, and she can almost picture his furrowed brow followed by the pulsing vein in his neck, "What?" he asks, but doesn't let her answer as he keeps going, "I can be home in twenty, if traffic isn't shit."

"El" she says calmly, "Maureen is here, I'm going to have her take me to the hospital, just meet me there."

A deep sigh resounds in her ear but he relents, "Okay," he answers before adding, "I love you, Liv."

"I love you, too."

...

By the time he gets to the hospital, his heart rate is pumping. It had taken forty five minutes in traffic, and he knew that she was there fifteen minutes after she had first called him, Maureen keeping him updated.

As soon as he bursts through the door, he's barking at whoever will listen, his fists clenched as he runs towards where they point. His daughter meets him with a smile, "They're both doing fine, and they say the labor is progressing well," she tells him.

He looks over her shoulder, feeling his heart clench at the sight of her in the hospital gown, practicing breathing from those classes to which he had insisted they go. Even if she wouldn't admit it, he knew she was nervous and he needed her to know that he was with her one hundred percent of the way through this pregnancy.

"Hey," she greets quietly and he smiles widely.

"You doing okay?" he asks.

She shrugs, arches an eyebrow, "Just having a baby."

They share a quiet moment, eyes locked, little smiles on their faces. He reaches down and pulls her hand in his. "My baby," he whispers.

Neither talk about the tears in her eyes at his words or the slow way she just nods her head, both knowing this is exactly where they were meant to be.

...

His sleeves are rolled up in hour five, and the doctor is frowning at the chart and he swears he's going to blow a gasket soon, but the man speaks, "She's having a hard time, the baby is in position but she's just not dilating at the rate I'd like," he explains. "Your son is doing well, his vitals are perfect he just doesn't seem to want to come out."

Nodding, Elliot tries not to jump down the man's throat, his nerves already shot to hell. "Is there anything I can do?" he asks.

"Just keep her comfortable."

Sighing, he looks over at her, sweat on her brow, the frustration marring her pretty features. Running his hand over his face, he comes over. "Liv, breathe," he says softly.

Her neck snaps and she narrows her eyes and if she wasn't so pissed off, he would laugh, but instead he steadies his jaw. "Baby, it's what's best for the baby, come on, remember that thing they showed us in class, synchronized breathing?" he asks.

Slowly he slides his hand in hers, gripping her fingers as they begin to do the shared breaths, deep in and out, and when a contraction hits, she squeezes his hands like a vice, her eyes slamming shut as she rides it out. When she opens them, he can tell she's teetering on the edge of an emotional meltdown.

Kicking off his dress shoes, he lets go of her hand. "Come on, let's try this," he says, his hand on her hip, indicating she turn to her side. It was something they had seen in the class, something that would have seemed a ridiculous idea until this moment.

He slips into the bed with her, her body curving into his, their legs locked together, hands entwined over her belly. He kisses her temple gently. "Just breathe baby, close your eyes and take deep slow breaths," he coos.

The tension in her body begins to dissipate and he can feel her become pliant in his arms. His thumb strokes the inside of her wrist. "I hope he has your eyes," she whispers.

"I hope he looks like you," he says with a chuckle. "He's going to be perfect, Liv, because he's ours."

Before she can respond, the door swings open and a familiar voice resounds in the room. "What are you doing?" she asks, "You can't be in her bed, why didn't you ever do that with me?"

Closing his eyes, he fights the overwhelming urge to punch the wall and looks at her. "Kathy," he says slowly.

"Elliot Stabler, I'm serious," she says with a pout, "You cannot be in bed with her, like that, it's against hospital regulations"

Just like that the vein in his forehead is pulsating and his fist is clenched so hard he can feel nails digging into his palms. Olivia's hand slides over his and she murmurs something gently that instantly begins to center him.

Taking a deep breath, he closes his eyes, let's his nose burrow in her neck momentarily, allowing him to inhale her scent. Then he looks at Kathy, "Listen, you can call hospital security if you want, but there's no way in hell I'm leaving her side, so you can quit while you're ahead"

She frowns at him, hmphs, and then turns around and walks out of the room.

"You handled that very well," she tells him and even though he can't see her face, he knows the smirk that she wears.

"I figured, I should be the calm one since, you know, you're having my kid."

...

"Come on baby, just a couple more pushes, you can do it," he whispers in her ear. Their positions switched when the doctor excitedly proclaimed that it was time.

Now, she rests against his chest, her legs spread in the stirrups, their hands locked tightly as she pushes back against him and pushes through the contractions. "He's crowning, just a couple more," the doctor says.

Tears stream down both of their faces, the emotion overwhelming even the most painful of moments with the realization that their baby will soon be here. It's two more big pushes, a scream from her, and then the quiet before their baby lets out his first cry.

He presses his face against hers, their tears intermingling on her cheeks, "He's here Liv, our boy is here," he whispers.

After he cuts the cord, they lie the newborn on her chest and he stares over her shoulder, knowing that his life is now complete.

**A/N: Short, sweet, sentimental.**


End file.
